Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developer replenishing container attachable and detachable to/from a developer replenishing apparatus. The developer replenishing container is used in an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a facsimile, a printer and a multifunction peripheral having a plurality of these functions.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a fine powder developer is used in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copier. In the image forming apparatus, a developer which is consumed as images are formed is replenished from a developer replenishing container.
As a conventional developer replenishing container, there is the developer replenishing container described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-309858, for example. In the developer replenishing container described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-309858, a discharge port has a relatively small size so as to suppress the scattering of a developer from the discharge port during normal working (exchange work) of the developer replenishing container. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-309858, since the discharge port is small, for aggregation of the developer generated at the discharge port or in a discharge path, the aggregation of the developer is addressed using a reciprocating member. Thus, the developer can be successfully discharged from the relatively small discharge port over a long period of time.
The developer replenishing container described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-309858 is provided with a driving force conversion member including a complicated crank mechanism in order to convert rotary driving force of a developer containing part to reciprocating driving force of the reciprocating member in order to drive the reciprocating member.